Infra-red fixed point structure characterising SUSY SU(5) symmetry breaking

Abstract We analyze the one-loop renormalisation group equations for the parameters of the Higgs potential of a supersymmetric SU(5) model with first step of symmetry breaking involving an adjoint Higgs. In particular, we investigate the running of the parameters that decide the first step of symmetry breaking in an attempt to establish which symmetry-breaking scenarios would be most likely if the model is the effective low-energy description of some more fundamental theory. An infra-red fixed point is identified analytically. We show that it is located at the boundary between the region of Higgs parameter space corresponding to unbroken SU(5) and the region corresponding to the breaking of SU(5) to the Standard Model, and we elaborate on its implications. We also observe that certain forms of the Higgs potential discussed at tree level in the literature are not renormalisation group invariant.